US President Joe Biden called his Turkish counterpart today Recep Tayyip Erdoganto congratulate him on his re-election.

During the telephone conversation, Erdogan raised the issue of acquiring American F-16 fighters, and Biden, for his part, asked Ankara to remove the obstacles it creates for Sweden’s entry into NATO.

“I talked to Erdogan, congratulated him. He still wants to find a solution for the F-16. I told him that we need a solution for Sweden,” the US president told reporters before leaving the White House for Delaware. “We will say more on next week,” he added.

Turkey tried to buy $20 billion worth of F-16 fighter jets from the US, but the US Congress blocked the sale. Among the White House’s top priorities is Sweden’s NATO membership in time for the NATO summit in Lithuania in mid-July. Turkey approved Finland’s entry into NATO at the end of March, but continues to block Sweden’s entry.

Egypt-Türkiye: Sisi and Erdogan restore diplomatic relations

Earlier, during a telephone conversation, the presidents of Egypt and Turkey agreed on an immediate renewal of diplomatic relations between Ankara and Cairo with the return of ambassadors from both sides. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called Recep Tayyip Erdogan to congratulate him on his victory in the presidential elections in Turkey.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri visited Turkey last month and, along with his counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, paved the way for improved diplomatic relations and a meeting between the two leaders.

Source: RES-IPE